Pulling away, Showalter manages first win of season

Making his second start in two weeks off a 10-month layoff, Maryland homebred Showalter swept to the lead at the top of the stretch and won Saturday’s featured ninth race at Laurel Park by 43⁄4 lengths.

Bred in Maryland by Peter Angelos’ Marathon Farms and named by the Orioles majority owner for his manager, Buck Showalter, the gelded 3-year-old son of Quality Road ran 51⁄2 furlongs in 1 minute, 3.48 seconds over a fast main track.

Showalter ($6.20) was the beaten favorite in his seasonal debut, a similar 51⁄2-furlong entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up run over a sloppy, sealed track Oct. 1 at Laurel. It marked his first race since being moved to trainer Gary Capuano after two starts at age 2, including his debut win in November.

“[The rail] post position got us last time, but he ran huge and then came back and won today pretty impressively,” Capuano said. “Mr. Angelos will be happy. He’s always happy when they win. They’ve been in it for a long time and Mr. Angelos is great for the game. He deserves a decent horse. So far, he’s moving in the right direction, so we’ll see what he can do.” Maryland Million: Ben’s Cat, whose 26 lifetime stakes victories include three in the Maryland Million, had his final work Saturday morning for the 31st edition of “Maryland’s Day at the Races” set for Saturday.

Under regular rider Trevor McCarthy, the 10-year-old gelding bred, owned and trained by Hall of Fame horseman King Leatherbury was clocked in 1:05 for 5 furlongs over the main track.

“We didn’t want to do too much with him since the race is right around the corner,” McCarthy said. “He felt great. He did everything smooth. He galloped out real well and he came back great, so we’re ready for Maryland Million.”